Dr. Tanisha L. Heaston, principal of Treadwell Elementary talks to me about educational change. In my first meeting and interview with her, she displays many if not all the leadership benchmarks of a Change Master and Facilitator. Defined by McEwan (2003), a Change Master is a highly effective principal who is flexible and futuristic. A realistic leader who is able to both motivate and manage change in an organized, positive, and enduring fashion. As a Change Master, she uses a situational approach since every school community requires somewhat different skills. Dr. Heaston respects change resisters, procures resources for her school, and trusts her teams which aligns with ISLLC Standard Six. Being a Facilitator, Dr. Heaston is a leader …show more content…
Taking it back some, as a teacher how did you deal with change? A: At that point in my career, I did know who Michael Fullan was (laughs). But if I did it probably would have helped me. As a teacher I made as much sense of it as I could. I listened to what my school leadership team told me. I thought about the change in terms of how it would affect me personally. And how would it affect the students I taught. Currently, as an administrator, we are taught and expected to see change differently. I see my knowledge as a teacher was limited. Narrow lens. Administrators have a much broader view. Now, I look at change as how will it affect the whole …show more content…
This school has had 5 principals in 4 years. I spoke earlier about this school being a part of the I-zone. The I-zone is a special subset of schools within Shelby County that are given the task of leading a school from the bottom 5% to the top 25%. In that there is a high turnover rate with administrators and teachers. I was selected to be a turnaround principal given a certain amount of time with the authority to make necessary changes. The community asked for a principal they could relate to. They wanted to be involved with the school and wanted resources given back to them so they could help their children. I listen to community concerns and established a parent power committee so they could be partners in education with us. We reached out into the community to garner some wrap around services to help and support our students. We gained seven (7) new Adopters who have formally taken the charge to provide resources that all students will need to achieve academically. Life Church gives us food. Bellview Baptist Church comes in and tutors all our 2nd grade students. Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity has volunteered to come in and work with our students on STEM projects. We have Omega Psi Phi who comes in an exposes our kids to social and character development. And the list goes on. There just so many programs and organizations ready to work with us because they know
Ms. Hall has had many years of public education experience and higher education training in which to hone her leadership style and framework. She started her career as a teacher in the Kirkwood School District. She then served as an assistant elementary principal at both Ritenour and Pattonville School Districts before being selected to serve as the assistant superintendent of the Maplewood Richmond Heights School District in 2008. Throughout her career she continued to pursue her education as a means o...
Standard 1 of the Florida Principal Leadership Standards (2011) describe the priority of the school leader as, “effective school leaders demonstrate that the student learning is their top priority through leadership actions that build and support a learning organization focus on student success”. Our number one priority and focus is and always should be our students. They are the reason behind our professions. It is the faculty the ones who should be supported by the administrators. The leaders should celebrate their success, encourage them, support their assertive instructional decisions, and motivate them each day to create the right conditions for learning. The principals must plan to project growth the most accurate possible, employing all the help that they could get for this challenging task. Students should not be affected because qualified teachers are not available. Strategic schools use the resources at had to relocate, and alleviate the human resources problems.
Leading organizations of school administrators offer educators various opportunities to encourage educators to become leaders. No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) has mandated that leaders be better prepared for the task of providing quality education to all. NCLB “… is forcing all educational stakeholders to face the weakness of contemporary school leadership and is making it impossible to ignore the need for higher quality principals” (Hale & Moorman, 2003, p.1). It is believed that all educators can be and are leaders in their own right. A leader is a visionary and has the ability to inspire others to aspire to greatness. Of the numerous opportunities that are offered, those that are most beneficial include but are not limited to leadership training programs, professional development, and creating shared leadership opportunities for teachers to become leaders. The systems “…that produce our nation’s principals are complex and interrelated – and governed by the states. Each state establishes licensing, certification and re-certification” (Hale & Moorman, 2003, p.1). States use the ISLLC standards “…as the framework for preparation programs and in service professional development of school superintendents, principals, and other leaders” (Hale & Moorman, 2003, p.3).
Frank, V. V. (2009, September). Framework for Improvement: Effective School Leadership Translates into Increased Student Learning. The Learning Principal: National Staff Development Council , pp. 2, 6-7.
Students need to be able to come to school, feel welcome, and receive the best education that their teacher can provide. To be able to do this the principal needs to make the decisions that supports his/her school. Principals need to be role models and responsible decision makers. Policies and procedures need to be updated regularly and should be reviewed by multiple parties.
Slavitch and Zimbardo (2012) assert that adult learners desire to improve their understandings by adjusting their “frames of reference,” including their points of view and habits of mind. In the case of the grade change initiative, the frames of reference were shaped by the parents, students, and administration. The committee entered the situation already having used instrumental learning to arrive at a solution. Their jobs to “reframe” the teachers’ beliefs and practices was able to work through the committee’s use of modified andragogy, allowing the teachers to discover their own truths as educators (Mezirow, 1997). Although entering the situation with an already-decided, seemingly autocratic decision in place, the committee was able to use their passionate transformative skills to win the teachers over to their side. The teachers’ self-discovery then enabled them to believe their decision was a wholly democratic one, which was not quite the case. As cited in Slavitch and Zimbardo (2012), Bass and Riggio’s (2010) explanation of transformational leadership perfectly embdodies DKJA’s grade change initiative: the follows were inspired to be a part of a shared vision, they had to challenge themselves to be problem solvers, and their leaders both challenged and supported them at all times. The teachers’ decision to “put themselves on the line” and “take one for the team” showed their allegiance to the group and their desire to be a part of something authentic, fulfilling, and true to themselves as both humans and
Daisy Li-Morell: I think the most significant pressure that a school administrator facing these days is figuring out how to do more with less. Decreased and a lack of funding is a critical issue facing most principals. Funding is decreasing at the state, federal, and local levels. Schools need to be innovated and do more with less. The lack of funding translates into having less certified staff, non-certified staff, and less educational resources.
Dr. Elmore illustrates the first step in cultivating change through the images of a cathedral, an assistance standing behind the boss, ruby red slippers, an old trail, and an assistance standing behind the boss that, in bringing change, a leader must possess a greater perspective than his limited vision. Further, a leader ought to mentor the next generation of leaders by inviting others to join him on the journey. A leader cannot do everything, so he must choose wisely. Moreover, people need a safe place to practice leadership principles.
A leader can be described as a person who gives direction, inspiration and cause to a group of people who are striving to achieve a common or similar goal (Eacott, 2011; Siraj-Blatchford & Manni, 2013). As there are many types of leaders within an early childhood education setting, such as director, room leader and educational leader, it is important to define and dissect what each role requires (Siraj-Blatchford & Manni, 2013). An educational leader is defined in the National Quality Framework (NQF), where they have support from other documentation and literature to identify what an educational leader is (Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority, 2014). This essay will examine the key factors that influence the education leader with links to the theories of leadership, such as contingency and transformational theories, and what being an educational leader entails.
C: Leading Change - Principals solicit input and collaborate with staff and their school community to implement strategies for change and improvements that result in improved achievement and developmental outcomes for all students.
As a public school superintendent and educational leader, one routinely is required one to wear many hats and take on various responsibilities. One responsibility of paramount importance communicating the focused mission of the school. Another responsibility is to unfold the academic standards of excellence of the educational institution and advance the academic competitiveness of the Academy of Notre Dame. My experiences in achieving these responsibilities have been vast and range from developing curriculum, instituting highly academic programs which surpass national standards, public relations, budgeting and creatively communicating to all of the stakeholders of the school district.
Shields, C. (2012). Transformative leadership in education: Equitable change in an uncertain and complex world. London: Routledge Publishers
One personal expectation I hope to achieve as a result of this program is that of becoming a more effective leader. When one experiences a transformation, it is often a result of life experiences. I hope for this program to aid my peers and myself in a positive transformation. I firmly believe that one must initially develop essential skills and understanding before adequately...
Every leader brings to the table a set of beliefs, theories and practices. The leader from Dearington Elementary School, Mr. R, took time to explain what he brings to the table at his school. This is his first year as the Principal of Dearington. Previously, he was a 2nd/3rd grade teacher for 5 years at Dearington, followed with two years as an assistant principal at an elementary school in the same school system. While teaching he coached at the middle school and has done various of leadership tasks at his church. Mr. R, explained his foundations of leadership, critical issues, and effective practices.
Transformational leadership is a style of leadership where the leader collaborates with employees to identify the needed change, creating a vision to guide the change through inspiration, and executing the change in tandem with committed members of the group. Transformational leadership has three basic functions. First, transformational leaders sincerely serve the needs of others, empower them and inspire followers to achieve great success. Secondly, they charismatically lead, set a vision, instill trust, confidence and pride in working with them. Finally, with the intellectual stimulation they offer followers of the same caliber as the leader. Therefore, the school becomes less bureaucratic and it functions as its own transforming agent. Instead